A Digital Snapshot

What? This week the question was posed. How can teachers use digital cameras in the classroom?

Now What? I have had a digital camera for six years now. I can honestly say I have never, until now, used it in my career as a student. This is not to say I don’t love my camera, because I do. As a mother of two children it has been a wonderful tool to document every step in their lives. With its instant viewing and the expandable memory digital cameras are so much better their film counterparts. Needless to say digital cameras are almost fool proof.

There can be a few problems with the cameras. The one that haunt me most is batteries. Digital cameras eat them. Some have their own rechargeable batteries and others, like mine, take double A’s. I need to make sure I always bring extras. It is so sad to miss a prefect shot because the camera’s battery is dead. Another problem can be resolution. Make sure the camera is set at the highest resolution for the best photos. I will need to remember these when I have digital photography as part of a lesson plan.

So What? There are hundreds of ways digital cameras could be used in a classroom setting. My children have come home with a few assignments that involved camera use. One that comes to mind was when my daughter had to go on a photo scavenger hunt. The subject was science and she had to take pictures to represent things like evaporation, condensation, and dew. Another was a Power Point my son did for Spanish class. He had to take picture of family members and list what they would be called in Spanish. Both assignments are ways that I could use photography in my classroom of the future.

I can think of a few more ways to use digital cameras. I could document the entire year and give each student a binder of memories. Okay that might be too much, but I might have one student be a class photographer and the picture could be used in the school’s yearbook. The students could switch off each week. That way everyone gets a turn. I can just imagine the pride they will have when they see their photos published.

There are also problems with children using the cameras. First digital cameras are expensive and care needs to be given so they do not get broken. Also the children need to know what they can and can photo. They need to remember others privacy and personal space. I will have to supervise my students when they are using the camera. Even with these problems I can see how digital cameras could be used to enrich the learning process.

Video: Mashups

The video of the band formed from people around the world shows us how small the world can be when the internet is used for good. People can bring their collective talent together and make wonderful music. Problem is how can I use this in my teaching career? I could use prescreened mashups in lesson plans, but I do not think I could make my own.